


These Are The Days Of Our Lives

by Starstorm



Series: Whispers in the Dark [1]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: But he can be, Friendship, Gen, Manipulation, Methos is Not Nice, Partial Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-05 21:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starstorm/pseuds/Starstorm
Summary: Adam Pierson has been passed for field duty as a Watcher...... this is not a good thing.





	These Are The Days Of Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Quid Pro Quo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2341259) by [LadySilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySilver/pseuds/LadySilver). 



> Inspired, with permission, by Quid Pro Quo by LadySilver
> 
> And no, I do not own Highlander. Panzer/Davies does.
> 
> This is AU in that I liked Fitz enough to want to keep him around. Kalas kills a generic younger Immortal in Fitz’ place.

_These are the days of our lives_

Adam Pierson blinked in shocked dismay at the message he’d just been sent.

_‘Pursuant to completed training under W. Joseph Dawson, W. Adam Pierson is hereby assigned to watch Immortal Henry Fitzcairn. As the subject is a relatively safe one, he has permission to continue doing research into the Methos chronicles, provisionally and pending review. Said assignment is effective immediately.’_

‘Bad news... Adam?’ Joe asked, blinking at the face that was somehow even paler (and looked even younger) than it normally did.

‘You could say that, yes. I... Joe, they’ve assigned me a field placement. Watching a man I **know**. How am I meant to send in accurate reports without being near enough for him to sense?’

‘You managed well enough the one time you had to follow me out to witness that fight.’

‘Well, yes, but even I can only suppress my presence for so long, Joe. And around another Immortal?’

‘Forgive me if I’m not very sympathetic. You did get yourself into this position to start with, after all.’

‘I was never meant to get a field assignment, though, Joe.’

‘Well, if you whine like that in front of whoever you’re following, then you’ll have no problems, now, will you?'

 

Adam grumbled to himself under his breath as he followed the curly blonde hair of his, hopefully temporary target. Long experience at not provoking fights let him do so at a distance just far enough to keep his Presence from brushing against Fitzcairn’s. The other Immortal never seemed to do anything interesting, so at least the reports he sent back to the Watchers council were relatively normal. Ye gods, though, the man could bed hop with alarming regularity. Always with women, and always, seemingly, mortal, but still there were an awful lot of them.

As he watched, Fitzcairn stopped in the street ahead of him. Ducking behind a wall, he saw him make an abortive reach for his sword before shaking his head and keeping walking. That had been far too close for Adam’s liking. The good thing was that there were relatively few Immortals about, and as he had once told Joe, he could suppress his presence long enough to read as, at most, a Pre-Immortal. He couldn’t keep it up forever, and the backlash afterwards tended to be rather painful, but under the circumstances it was warranted.

He concentrated on drawing back his presence now, in fact. He liked Adam Pierson, liked the safety net the Watchers provided him. Quite liked being seen as merely another mortal, and no real threat to people. After all, in the Watchers, buried as he had been deep in the archives, he was safe from running into another Immortal. Safe from being found out.

Very softly he started to swear, an impressive variety of languages for anyone who hadn’t lived as long as he had. He was just getting into those that hadn’t survived long enough to be recorded when, ahead of him, Fitzcairn cleared his throat.

‘You might as well come out now, you know, young one. After all, I know you’re there.’ His voice sounded amused, almost too relaxed.

Adam sighed, deeply.

‘... I’m losing patience, you know.’ At that, Fitzcairn withdrew his sword, pointing it in Adam’s general direction.

Adam stepped out of the shadows, empty palms outstretched in front of him in a peaceful gesture.

Fitzcairn blinked, staring slightly. ‘Don’t I... know you?’ The lack of presence had fooled him into thinking it was a very young face, but the man he thought he had seen had to be pushing four hundred at the least.

‘I suppose my saying _no_ wouldn’t be particularly believed, would it?’ As always, the words had a sarcastic undertone to them, though he didn’t sound as timid as he usually did as Adam. It had been a very long week.

‘... **no** , Doctor Adams? Ben Adams? Why are you following me, old friend?’

Adam sighed again. ‘It’s Adam Pierson, these days. It’s a long story, care to hear it somewhere that isn’t the middle of a Parisian street?’

 

‘I don’t believe you, you know, old friend. If there were mortals following us, I’d know. And if there were why would you join them?’

‘Protection, Fitz. Nobody’s looking for me. Surely it’s not that hard to understand, even for you?’

‘Why would anyone go looking for you, Doctor? Last I heard you didn’t even play the game.’

‘You’d be surprised.’

‘Tell me about it? After all, you have been following me for awhile. Tell me more about these Watchers.’

‘I can’t. I took... an oath not to.’ He said, suddenly inspired.

‘Ah. Oaths I can understand, good Doctor. After all, I was raised in an age of chivalry.’

Adam shifted, the wool of his jumper pulling somewhat at the wrists. Fitz stared, as though hypnotised, at the edge of his Watcher’s tattoo.

‘I say, you didn’t have _that_ before, Doctor. How on earth did you ever get it to take? Quickening usually heals tattoos before they’re even fully inked.’

‘Trade secret, I’m afraid, Fitz. Maybe I’ll tell you, when you’re old enough.’

‘When I’m _old_ enough, Doctor? Last I checked you were, what, five hundred?’

‘A wise immortal never reveals their age, Fitz. I’ll have to keep following you, thats my assignment, recording your every move.’

‘I remember what you were like. Always writing things down, all that scrawling. Never really did see the point of it, but I like you enough to put up with you.’

‘Kind of you.’ If Fitz heard the sarcasm, he ignored it entirely.

 

They had fallen into a slightly awkward partnership after awhile. Though Fitz still knew very little about the Watchers as a whole, he had learned that they’d been recording Immortals for a very long time. Though Adam had admitted to being in research, he hadn’t yet told him just what he was researching. Though he rather liked Fitz, he knew he couldn’t overly trust him, at least not yet. He just hoped MacLeod would keep his damn mouth shut next time they met.

‘Did I tell you Doc... Adam? I found a new girl.’

‘You’re always finding new girls, Fitz. And lucky me, I get to write about them.’

‘Write about them, _fantasise_ about them, Adam. I tell you, this is the life.’

‘It’s a life, certainly, Fitz. Not really for me, though.’

As he noticed a gleam, he dropped back a few paces, then a few more, keeping his eyes on his Immortal’s curls.

He felt the very edge of a tingle of Presence, then, and he saw Fitz, half a street ahead, freeze before dropping into a fighting stance. Sighing, he melted back into the shadows, knowing that if there was another Immortal, then that meant there would also be another Watcher.

And that meant that he had to be even more careful, though he had spent a very long lifespan perfecting that art.

 

Fitz screamed as the blade of the other duellist sliced though the skin of his upper arm. Thankfully, he had the edge and he knew it, but the pain wasn’t, even now, easy to deal with. His sword raised to the other man’s throat, even as his found Fitz’s, stilled.

‘It seems we are at an impasse. Maybe I’ll leave this challenge for now, teach your student better.’

‘Student? I don’t have any students.’

‘No? Then who is he?’ He stared unerringly at Adam who flinched. It was over, then. He couldn’t meet the other Watcher’s eyes, in that moment as the other Immortal strode away.

 

‘Well this is a fine mess. If I put this in my report, they’ll kill you Pierson.’

‘Maybe. Maybe not, I don’t know.’

‘If you’re Immortal then why didn’t we know it? And why should I listen to you long enough not to report this, anyway? Immortals are the enemy, Pierson, and if they find out you are one... it has to have been recent, right?’

Adam sighed. ‘I’m not sure what to tell you. I’m sorry. I can promise you that I meant the oath’s I took. I have taken no heads since long before I became a Watcher, and I do not plan on taking any.’

‘You’re a regular Darius, huh?’ Adam flinched. The other watcher blinked at that. ‘Damn, you knew him, didn’t you? I’m sorry for that Pierson. I won’t tell anyone, I quite liked Darius, too.’

‘So you’re willing to lie to the Watchers for the sake of a mutual friendship?’

‘I’m not going to lie to them. I’m just not putting the last few minutes in my report. Pierson... Adam, I know you, and you’re harmless. What harm could it do, really? At least you can protect your Immortal.’

‘What about ‘do not interfere’?’

‘You didn’t fight for him, Adam. Under the circumstances, that’s enough. Especially if you’re who I’m starting to think you might be.’

‘... oh?’ There was centuries of weariness in that single word.

‘You knew Darius. A lot of people did, but most of them wouldn’t mourn him as much as you obviously did. He was a priest, and a gentle man, yet you...’

‘I?’

‘... you’re a good man Adam. And we need you as a good man far more than we need another headless corpse. I won’t say anything if you don’t, but look after your Immortal. As long as you’re one of us, we can be friends, but if they find out that you’re one of them, there’s nothing I can do to help you.’

‘It’s not really a case of us and them, you know, Nick.’

‘Tell that to Horton. I’m just... very glad he’s dead. The sooner they pull you out of the field the better.’

‘Couldn’t agree more.’

 

Elsewhere, there were several Watchers slightly worried about Adam Pierson. He had never actually been passed for field work, after all, at least not from the Academy. The fact that he had witnessed a fight, but not interfered spoke well for him, but they really needed him back in research. They decided, between them, to watch Pierson for a while. If there was a reason to pull him off active duty, they would find one...


End file.
